Devices utilizing nanoparticles for the remediation or purification of a water supply are well known in the art. Examples of such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,887,880 to Zhau et al. and United States Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0110723 to Varma et al.
Nanosized materials have been widely studied and investigated in various areas including that of toxic chlorinated organics degradation and water pollution remediation. Nanoscale metallic particles with high surface area and high binding energy with core electrons may enhance the interaction of the surface sides between the reactants and products. However, nanoparticles naturally tend to aggregate and that aggregation may lead to loss of de-chlorination reactivity. As a result, stabilizers, ligaments and membrane supports have been developed and utilized in an effort to immobilize the nanoparticles.
This approach has resulted in one problem which is the sacrifice of nanoparticle reactivity. The water purification device and a method of decontaminating a water supply described in this document overcome this problem and enhance the performance of the nanoparticles. Specifically, the water purification device utilizes the direct synthesis of immobilized nanoparticles in a hydrogel network or matrix. The resulting nanoparticles are smaller in size than those incorporated into a hydrogel matrix by other methods. Accordingly, the nanoparticles exhibit higher surface areas offering increases in reactivity. Further, the nanoparticles are more homogenously dispersed throughout the hydrogel matrix and the resulting lack of aggregation increases access to the surface area of the nanoparticles and further enhances reactivity. Still further the controlled swelling and deswelling of the hydrogel matrix allows control of water fraction and target pollutant partitioning in the hydrogel matrix that further optimizes resulting remediation activity of the device and associated method.